The leaders of the European Union have demanded respect from Donald Trump after the United States president brought the transatlantic alliance to the precipice of collapse with his threat to seize Greenland through the use of punitive tariffs.
Trump suddenly backtracked on Wednesday, opting instead for a long-term deal on Arctic security brokered by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
“We believe that relationships between partners and allies should be managed in a cordial and respectful way,” António Costa, the president of the European Council, said on Thursday evening at the end of an extraordinary summit in Brussels.
“The European Union will continue to stand up for its interests and will defend itself, its member states, its citizens and its companies, against any form of coercion. It has the power and the tools to do so and will do so if and when necessary.”
Standing by his side, Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said the bloc had been “successful” in pushing back against Trump’s territorial claims by “being firm, non-escalatory and most importantly very united”.
Von der Leyen then called on the EU to strengthen its “economic power”, diversify its supply chains and become more independent vis-a-vis the US.
“This won’t happen overnight,” she said. “This is hard work.”
Before Trump’s U-turn, the Commission had begun preparations to hit back at Washington should the tariff threat materialise. Among the floated options was the activation, for the first time, of the Anti-Coercion Instrument, which grants broad authority to target multiple sectors of the economy, such as services, investment flows, public procurement and intellectual property, at the same time.
“The European way of life is different from the American way of life. We respect the American way of life. But from our point of view, it’s very important to preserve and cherish our transatlantic partnership,” Costa said.
“We’re not reacting every day to any kind of communication on social media. We have a clear vision about our relationship. We are upholding our basic principles.”
Thursday’s summit was marked by sighs of relief from leaders, who had feared launching a tit-for-tat confrontation with Washington could wreak untold economic havoc and derail the joint efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Despite averting the worst-case scenario, there was a palpable sense of disquiet and suspicion among Europeans after the unprecedented crisis triggered by Trump’s annexationist goal. Details of the framework deal brokered by Mark Rutte have not been released, fuelling doubts that the clash over Greenland might not yet be over.
“We remain extremely vigilant and ready to use our tools if there are further threats,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, who had publicly called for the activation of the Anti-Coercion Instrument in the collective response.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, one of the day’s protagonists, said her country was willing to discuss matters related to Greenland with the White House as long as its sovereignty was off the table, something she pointedly described as a “red line”.
“Our democratic rules cannot be discussed,” Frederiksen said upon arrival.
Asked if she could still trust the US after Trump’s tariff threats, the Danish leader insisted the two sides “have to work together respectfully, without threatening each other”.
Thursday’s extraordinary summit was the coda to five days of frantic European diplomacy to convince Trump to abandon his forceful bid to take over Greenland.
The sky-high tensions dominated the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, where von der Leyen and Macron openly vowed to retaliate.
European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde reportedly left a high-profile private dinner in Davos after US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick harshly criticised Europe’s economic performance. Lutnick’s remarks were met with heckles in the room.
